Heimhofer, Caroline, Dr.

Caroline Heimhofer is a neuroscientist specializing in motor control, movement analysis, and neurophysiology. Her research aims to improve the understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying motor performance, fatigability, and recovery, with a particular interest in translating these insights into neurorehabilitation.

She obtained her Master's degree in Health Sciences and Technology with a specialization in Medical Technology at ETH Zurich, where she contributed to the development of the VariLeg exoskeleton for individuals with spinal cord injury. Her Master's thesis at the Laboratory for Movement Biomechanics (under William Taylor) focused on the resilience of human walking following perturbations.

Building on this work, she completed her PhD at the Neural Control of Movement Laboratory (under Nicole Wenderoth), investigating motor fatigability and the associated adaptations within the brain using advanced functional MRI techniques. During her subsequent postdoctoral research, she studied the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying cross-over motor fatigability using behavioural manipulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

Drawing on expertise in biomechanics, neuroimaging, neurophysiology, and movement analysis, her current research takes a multimodal approach to better understand movement control and to identify biomarkers that can support motor recovery after spinal cord injury.

List of publications of Caroline Heimhofer